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Robby Fabbri

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Sabres, Fabbri

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With the Maple Leafs not having a second-round pick until 2027 and an anticipated unwillingness to move their first-round pick, their trade chips are certainly limited.  Accordingly, Chris Johnston of The Athletic noted on a recent TSN Insider Trading segment that Toronto has gone with a volume approach when it comes to offering up draft picks for rentals; clearly, nothing has materialized in terms of an accepted trade yet.  They have two extra fifth-round picks and an extra seventh-rounder among their nine selections in June so if they are indeed trying to move some of those extra picks, they’ll likely be forced to shop more towards the depth side of the trade market.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • With Buffalo being in a spot where they were carrying three goalies for a good chunk of the season, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News wonders if that could affect their pursuit of a veteran netminder this summer. If it’s determined that Devon Levi needs more time with AHL Rochester, it stands to reason that the Sabres would want a veteran on a short-term deal to partner with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.  However, most of the quality second-string or platoon options will be looking for more than one year on the open market so Lysowski suggests that they might have to turn to the trade market to get a netminder on a short-term deal.
  • Red Wings winger Robby Fabbri will return to the lineup today against Calgary, relays Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (Twitter link). The 28-year-old missed Thursday’s contest due to the birth of his daughter.  When healthy, Fabbri has been a capable secondary scorer for Detroit this season, collecting 13 goals and eight assists in 39 games so far, surpassing the half-point-per-game mark for the fifth straight year.

Atlantic Notes: Tarasenko, Power, Fabbri, Shattenkirk, Richard

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Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko said Monday that he’s “open to all options” ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, including remaining with the team (via Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch).

The 32-year-old remained unsigned weeks into free agency last summer after failing to secure a longer-term deal, leading him to make a rare agent change just days after July 1. He eventually inked a one-year, $5MM deal with Ottawa on July 27 with a full no-trade clause.

That clause leaves him in full control of his destiny over the next few weeks. Tarasenko would not confirm Monday if his representation has had conversations with the Senators’ front office about an extension or about waiving the clause.

One would assume if a trade to a contender materializes, assuming it’s an offer Ottawa is willing to accept, Tarasenko would approve the move and spend the next few months hunting for his second Stanley Cup. The 2010 first-round pick notched 11 goals and 17 points in 26 playoff games en route to a championship with the Blues in 2019.

Tarasenko has played good hockey for the Senators this year after an understandably slow start in a new environment, rebounding to post 14 goals (fourth on the team) and 34 points (fifth on the team) in 46 games. He’s currently playing a third-line role at even strength alongside Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto, helping mentor a pair of projected future core pieces in Ottawa. He should net at least a second-round pick should the Senators receive interest from a team Tarasenko is willing to accept a trade to, but he still has value to the team if they choose to keep him around and risk letting him walk to free agency this summer.

Other updates from the Atlantic Division:

  • Sabres sophomore defenseman Owen Power left practice with an apparent hand injury on Monday and is undergoing additional imaging, head coach Don Granato said (via Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News). Power’s status for Tuesday’s game against the Kings is now uncertain. The 2021 first-overall pick has seen his point production drop after last season’s third-place Calder Trophy finish, notching two goals and 18 points in 51 games this year, but he’s made up for it by making major strides defensively. He’s been on the ice for 0.74 expected goals against per game at even strength compared to 1.05 last season, per Hockey Reference, all the while seeing a tad more defensive-zone usage than he did in 2022-23. Averaging 22:28 per game, those minutes will be hard for the Sabres to replace if he’s gone for any length of time, especially with Mattias Samuelsson already done for the season after undergoing upper-body surgery. If Power can’t play Tuesday, rookie Ryan Johnson could slide into a top-four role alongside Connor Clifton, while depth defender Jacob Bryson could play for only the sixth time this season.
  • Red Wings left winger Robby Fabbri won’t play Tuesday against the Oilers due to personal reasons, according to head coach Derek Lalonde (via Ansar Khan of MLive.com). He is expected to rejoin the team on their road trip before their game in Vancouver on Thursday. The 28-year-old missed significant time early in the season with a lower-body injury but has rebounded to be an important bottom-six contributor for Detroit, posting 13 goals and 21 points in 39 games while logging 13:27 per game. Depth forward Klim Kostin will draw back into the lineup against his former team tomorrow after he was scratched for Saturday’s overtime win over the Canucks.
  • Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was absent from Monday’s practice due to illness, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports. Shattenkirk, 35, has slipped down the Bruins’ depth chart lately, serving as a healthy scratch in four out of their last seven games in favor of 26-year-old farmhand Parker Wotherspoon. The 2007 first-round pick signed a one-year, $1.05MM deal to join Boston in free agency, and he’s provided some solid two-way play in bottom-pairing minutes with 13 points and a 1.1% relative Corsi share at even strength in 42 games.
  • The Bruins also summoned winger Anthony Richard from AHL Providence after sending him down early Monday morning, per the NHL’s media site. The 27-year-old skated on the third line in this morning’s practice and could play his second straight game when the Bruins host the Lightning on Tuesday. The 27-year-old is second on Providence in scoring with 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in 41 games.

Atlantic Notes: Reinhart, Fabbri, Lauko, Klingberg

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Panthers forward Sam Reinhart is in the final season of his contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.  Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards examines how Florida might be able to keep the 28-year-old and still re-sign pending UFA blueliners Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling.  He suggests that an AAV of $8MM might be workable while re-upping the rearguards, leaving the team enough space to round out the roster with a bunch of minimum-salary players.  However, he has 166 points in 173 games with Florida, 17 of which have come in his 13 appearances this season and as someone who can play down the middle when needed, it’s quite possible that Reinhart’s open-market value could be higher than $8MM.  That said, Florida is a favorable tax environment which could also convince him to take a bit less than he would from another team.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Red Wings are expected to welcome back forward Robby Fabbri today from his lower-body injury, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link). The 27-year-old returned to the lineup on Tuesday but then missed Thursday’s contest with a lower-body issue.  Fabbri missed 54 games due to injury last season and has only been able to suit up twice so far this year.  With Austin Czarnik likely heading for injured reserve, Khan believes Detroit will be bringing a forward up in the coming days as well before they head out on their trip to Sweden.
  • The Bruins could get winger Jakub Lauko back tonight against Montreal, notes Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. The 23-year-old has missed the last couple of weeks after taking a skate near his left eye and suffering several bone fractures; understandably, he’ll be wearing a full cage if he plays tonight.  Lauko has been held without a point in his first six games this season after putting up four goals and three helpers in 23 games on Boston’s fourth line last year.
  • John Klingberg’s injury-related absence was a short one. After not playing last night, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the veteran blueliner will suit up tonight against Vancouver, taking Simon Benoit’s spot in the lineup.  It has been a rough start to Klingberg’s tenure with the Maple Leafs as the 31-year-old has just five assists in 13 games with some considerable struggles in his own end after being brought in to be a key offensive threat from the back end this summer.

Detroit Red Wings Activate Robby Fabbri Off IR

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As alluded to yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings have officially activated forward Robby Fabbri off of the injured reserve, and he will be in the lineup tonight as the team takes on the New York Rangers. Up to this point in the season, Fabbri has only played in the opening game of the year, missing the last 11 games with a lower-body injury.

In the second year of a three-year, $12MM contract extension signed with Detroit back in 2021, Fabbri has been an off-again on-again player for the Red Wings, losing plenty of games due to injuries. Throughout his career, Fabbri has primarily dealt with knee issues, losing significant time to ACL tears in the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2021-22 regular seasons.

When healthy, Fabbri has been a solid complimentary piece for the Red Wings, scoring 49 goals and 47 assists in 167 games played over the last five seasons. However, his most successful stretch with Detroit came shortly after he was acquired from the St.Louis Blues, capping off the 2019-20 season with 14 goals and 17 assists in 52 games played.

During the team’s opening night game against the New Jersey Devils, Fabbri played on the second forward line next to J.T. Compher and Lucas Raymond, but with David Perron and Andrew Copp now taking over on the wings, it is reasonable to assume that Fabbri will be bumped down to the third line as he transitions back out onto the ice.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Panthers, Red Wings

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For the most part, the Buffalo Sabres have been dealing with some inconsistent goaltending to start the 2023-24 season. After the injury to goaltender Eric Comrie, the team has been rolling with a combination of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, who have both played in five games on the year.

At still only 21 years old, much of Levi’s poor start could be attributed to growing pains, as he only has a 2-3-0 record, coupled with a .886 SV% and a 3.41 GAA. Luukkonen on the other hand has had incredible starts such as the one against the Colorado Avalanche on October 29th, earning a shutout against a solid offensive team. However, only two games later, Luukkonen would let in five goals on 19 shots against the Philadelphia Flyers, an offense that is not nearly as capable as Colorado’s.

To try and get more consistency out of his goaltenders, Lance Lysowksi of The Buffalo News reports that head coach Don Gronato is not keen on giving one starter a bulk of the starts, and will begin to rotate Levi and Luukkonen more regularly, in an attempt to create a hot hand in the net. This is largely the most logistical choice for the Sabres to make for the time being, as neither starter has shown the capacity to carry a majority of the load quite yet in their young careers.

Other notes:

  • Last week, it was reported that Florida Panthers’ defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour would be returning to practice in non-contact jerseys on Sunday, as both players are still recovering from shoulder surgery needed after the team’s run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. In an exciting update on their recovery process, Jameson Olive of the NHL reports that once the Panthers return from their West Coast road trip next week, there is a chance either one of them could appear in a game during that homestand. With a record of 5-4-1 to start the year, the team could certainly benefit from getting both of these defensemen back in the lineup.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced that captain Dylan Larkin is questionable to play against the New York Rangers tomorrow night, and that forward Robby Fabbri will make his return to the lineup. Getting off to one of the hottest starts of his career, Larkin appeared to have an issue closing his right hand during the team’s recent game against the Boston Bruins, even leaving the bench for a short time. Ultimately, Larkin would return towards the end of the second period and scored the game-tying goal early in the third period.

Evening Notes: Oilers, Faksa, Fabbri

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Sam Gagner’s contract with the Edmonton Oilers has officially been registered today and the 34-year-old was called up by the team to their NHL roster (CapFriendly). The move coincided with winger Adam Erne clearing waivers and being assigned to the club’s AHL affiliate the Bakersfield Condors. Gagner will begin his third stint with the Oilers after missing the end of last season and training camp with a hip injury.

The former sixth overall pick played three AHL games last week picking up a goal and four assists while driving a lot of the offense for the Condors. The Oilers will be looking for him to provide depth scoring for a lineup that has appeared top-heavy this season. Gagner has been a solid offensive contributor throughout his career despite bouncing around the league to seven different teams during his 16-year NHL career.

For Erne, he returns to the AHL after going scoreless in six games for the Oilers this season. The 28-year-old split last season between the NHL and AHL in the Detroit Red Wings organization. He posted five points in nine AHL games last season while registering eight goals and 10 assists in 61 NHL games.

In other evening notes:

  • Dallas Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine is reporting that Stars forward Radek Faksa will miss tonight’s game with what is being described as an upper-body injury. Faksa skated with the team yesterday before leaving on their road trip and by all accounts seemed fine. No word yet on what has changed between then and now or any specifics on the ailment. Faksa is off to a slow start offensively this season with no points in seven games, however the Stars are off to a torrid 5-1-1 start thanks in part to Faksa’s penalty killing and defensive acumen.
  • Detroit Hockey Now writer Kevin Allen is reporting that Robby Fabbri of the Detroit Red Wings returned to practice today and could be coming off the injured reserve sooner rather than later. Fabbri is ahead of schedule according to Allen but will still miss the Red Wings next two games. The 27-year-old has dressed in just a single game this season and has one goal thus far. He has been sidelined with a lower-body issue but could return next week against the New York Rangers or Montreal Canadiens.

Robby Fabbri Out Four Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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The Detroit Red Wings have announced that forward Robby Fabbri will be out for four weeks with a lower-body injury. The team also clarified that this injury is not related to Fabbri’s knee, which is notable as Fabbri’s knee has been the cause of significant injury troubles in the past.

Fabbri has not appeared on the ice for the Red Wings since the team’s season-opening loss to the New Jersey Devils on October 12th. Fabbri’s absence was originally believed to only be for a single game, but seeing as Fabbri failed to return to the ice it seems that original projection may have been too optimistic.

Fabbri’s one game so far this season was spent on the Red Wings’ second line alongside Lucas Raymond and offseason signing J.T. Compher.

Although he only played in 28 games last season, Fabbri scored at a 47-point pace. There was some hope that the 27-year-old, who is making $4MM against the cap through 2024-25, would be in line for a potential career-best season on a top-six line with Compher and Raymond. The Red Wings will now have to wait to see if those hopes will end up materializing into actual production, though, as Fabbri will be out of commission into the middle of November.

As for how the Red Wings have fared in Fabbri’s absence, Derek Lalonde’s squad has collected three consecutive wins and has scored 16 goals in that span of time. While a healthy Fabbri would hardly have hurt the team’s offensive attack, the Red Wings look well-positioned to remain highly competitive despite losing Fabbri.

Snapshots: Dubois, Fabbri, Greaves

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In an article by Carter Brooks of The Hockey News, it was reported that the current head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, Rick Bowness, spent some time trying to convince Pierre-Luc Dubois to stay with the Jets long-term, but ultimately fell short of that goal. In the end, as he was publicly vocal about his desire to leave Winnipeg, the Jets would trade him to the Los Angeles Kings for a trio of forwards this past summer, and Dubois would sign an eight-year, $68MM extension in Los Angeles.

Included in the article was a quote from Bowness about the situation last year, saying, “I had no problem with ’Dubie. I talked to him an awful lot, spent a lot of time with him. I was trying to convince him to stay, but that wasn’t going to happen no matter what. I have no problem with Dubie at all. We had a very good rapport“. During the entirety of the Dubois saga in Winnipeg, it appeared on the outside as if there were internal struggles surrounding the team given Dubois’ attitude towards the organization, but the head coach seems to disagree with that narrative entirely.

Nevertheless, the Jets are making good on their end of the trade, as the forwards acquired, Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari have all scored a combined one goal and two assists in the team’s first two games of the season, while Dubois has yet to find the scoreboard for the winless Kings. Tonight, Dubois will make his first return to Winnipeg since the trade, in front of what is likely to be an extremely vocal crowd.

Other snapshots:

  • Seemingly losing game time to injury every season, Robby Fabbri of the Detroit Red Wings has already missed two games with an undisclosed injury early on this season. According to Ansan Khan of MLive, Fabbri shouldn’t be out too much longer, as the team is looking to have him back in the lineup this weekend as they take on the Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames. In the same report, Khan also noted that defenseman Jeff Petry is also expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but would not elaborate on what defenseman would sit in his place.
  • After being recalled to the Columbus Blue Jackets on an emergency basis yesterday morning, the team has announced they have returned goaltender Jet Greaves back to their AHL, the Cleveland Monsters. Greaves served as the backup option behind Spencer Martin last night against Detroit, giving regular starting netminder, Elvis Merzļikins, a bit more time to recover from a bout of the flu.

Red Wings Recall Zach Aston-Reese

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With Robby Fabbri set to miss tonight’s game against Tampa Bay, the Red Wings needed to bring up a forward.  They’ve decided that forward will be Zach Aston-Reese as the team announced that the winger has been recalled from AHL Grand Rapids.

The 29-year-old was able to turn a PTO into a guaranteed deal last season with Toronto, a move that worked out relatively well for him.  Aston-Reese set career highs in games played (77) and goals (10) in 2022-23 while recording 163 hits in what was predominantly a fourth line role.  He also suited up in six playoff contests, picking up a goal along with 16 more hits despite averaging less than nine minutes a night.

However, Aston-Reese once again had to go the PTO route for this season, getting one with Carolina a month ago today.  It wasn’t successful and he was cut earlier this month although he was able to rebound quickly, inking a two-way deal with Detroit last Sunday.  That move coincided with a waiver placement where he passed through unclaimed, resulting in him suiting up for the Griffins in their opener last night.

While Aston-Reese’s recall gives Detroit a dozen healthy forwards on the roster, don’t expect that to automatically mean that Aston-Reese will play tonight.  Instead, it appears as if they’ll go with seven defensemen, allowing Olli Maatta to make his season debut.  Fabbri, meanwhile, is listed as day-to-day and hasn’t been ruled out for Monday’s contest against Columbus.

Snapshots: Team Canada, Kings, Carolina Injuries, Fabbri

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Team Canada’s U20 roster has announced that Alan Letang will serve as the team’s head coach, while Pete Anholt and Brent Seabrook will serve in management roles.

TSN’s Gord Miller quips that Letang has been a “gold medal magnet” in recent years, leading Canada to gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup this August and serving as an assistant coach for the championship-winning Canadians at the 2020 and 2023 World Junior Championship. Pete Anholt has served as the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ general manager since 2015. He also served as a head coach in the WHL for 15 seasons between 1989 and 2007.

This will be Brent Seabrook’s first involvement with the Canada U20 team since he played for them in 2004 and 2005, appearing at the World Junior Championship in both years. Since his NHL career ended in 2019-20, Seabrook has served as an assistant and development coach with the Vancouver Giants.

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